In February 2010, weighing in 252lbs,
Carma decided to give Marilyn Jenett's
"I Create My Body" Program a try.

This blog documents her journey.

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OK, its been awhile since I’ve been on the I Create My Body Program and I’ll admit I got derailed.

But now I am re-committed to losing those final pounds and reaching my ultimate goal weight by sometime in March 2015.

Things I’ve noticed:

When I’m actively implementing the I Create My Body Program I seem to have this pull, this desire to join a gym. Not so when I’m not active with the program.

When I’m actively implementing the I Create My Body Program I’m drawn to healthier foods, especially salads. In fact this time around I’ve invested in a NutriBullet and have been drinking green smoothies ever since! Loving it! When not on the program I drift back toward a higher meat-protein diet.

These lessons have taught be that I’m going to make creating my body a life-long commitment. I will forever hold that my body naturally and easily maintains my final goal weight (once I get there)!

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Last weekend my parents came down to Long Beach to visit. This meant quite a bit of eating out. But the I Create My Body program still helped me. Between Friday night and Sunday morning, I had gained 4 lbs. But by Friday, not only were those 4 lbs. gone … so were the remaining 1.5 I had set as my goal.

Put another way … I gained less than I could have considering how many times I ate out over the three days …. and between Monday and Friday, I lost 5.5 lbs.!

Again, I didn’t diet.

This was what I noticed over the week:

1) I had a less of a desire to binge while at a restaurant than I have had in the past. I ate sensibly and took home leftovers. Frankly, I just don’t feel right eating when I’m not hungry any more and I no longer have the “food lack” mentality I’ve had for much of my life. The wonderful tasting food will always be there … I don’t have to eat it NOW.

2) After my parents had left, I was less hungry than before. So less food satisfied me. It was like my body was trying to pull me back toward my goal, rather than just continue expanding like before.

This is what continues to blow my mind about this program. Cravings I’ve had all my life are nearly … if not completely … gone. I feel totally satisfied on less food. My former desire to eat things now because they might not be there tomorrow (because someone else will eat them) is non-existent. I now eat what I need and am satisfied.

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I’m so happy now that I’ve passed the halfway point in my weight loss journey. The last remaining 40+ lbs feel like a piece of cake. And even though I’ve been on this I Create My Body journey for a year now, it still amazes me that I keep losing weight without consciously going on a diet. I just keep working on my mindset and my body tells me what to do.

I think that’s been the biggest lesson so far … how to listen to my body. When I want to have a cookie, I’m now able to listen and understand do I want that cookie because I’m looking for comfort? Or do I want that cookie because I crave the flavor experience?

Also, it has been easier and easier to resist emotional eating. In fact, I hardly crave foods for emotional reasons any more (except in January/February when my father died). And food is no longer my only thought when I want to celebrate. I’ve created equally pleasurable things to do … like dying my hair auburn!

For me, the I Create My Body program is so much more than a way to lose weight. It has been a way to discover the power of my mind in many areas of my life, and it has been a way to better get to know my body and its real wants and needs.

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Yes, I have been remiss in sharing my weight loss journey over the past year. But I think you’ll forgive me … I moved to Long Beach, I lost my father … its been interesting. But I had to write today because I’ve hit a major milestone.

Since I first got the WiiFit in March 2008, I’ve always been in the “obese” category. I’d step on the balance board and weigh in. The BMI would come up and the little voice would say, “That’s obese.”

This morning was different.

This morning, the little voice said, “That’s overweight.”

I am now 190.5 lbs! That’s 33.7 lbs since I last posted my weight!

And I know I’ve done it because of mindset. Since I moved out of a toxic environment and have been happier, I’m just feeling better about myself. My eating habits are the same. My exercise is about the same … about 30 minutes everyday. But my self image has vastly improved.

Now that I’m down to the final 47.5 pounds of my journey … my goal is to wear this cute little Mandarin dress for New Years … I promise to be better at sharing what I’m learning along the way.

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I’m a bit of a geek and trained as a science writer, so I subscribe to a number of science news and information newsletters. The other day this story from the Genetics Society of America came across my email box and I thought I’d share the gist of it with you.

Recent research, reported in the July 2010 issue of Genetics, shows that genes interacting with diet, rather than diet alone, are the main cause of variation in metabolic traits, such as body weight.

What does this mean? Well, it means that it is not just what you eat, but how your body interacts with what you eat that affects your ability to maintain your body weight. It also explains why some diets work better for some people than others.

The bottom line: This study strongly suggests that some individuals can achieve benefits from altering their dietary habits, while the same changes for others will have virtually no effect.

So, remember that fad diet you tried that worked great for your friend but not for you … it doesn’t mean you did something wrong. It just means that the diet wasn’t right for you and your individual genetic make up.

Now, this research was conducted using fruit flies … so the findings are not conclusive for humans. But it does point in a very interesting direction. There has been talk of tailoring medication to one’s genetic make up. The findings of this study suggest that diets could also be much more successful when tailored to an individual’s genes rather than to physical appearance, as well.

“Each person has a unique set of genetic and environmental factors contributing to his or her metabolic health,” said Laura K. Reed, Ph.D, a researcher from the Department of Genetics at North Carolina State University, the lead investigator in the work, “and as a society, we should stop looking for a panacea and start accepting that this is a complex problem that may have a different solution for each individual.”

What I find also interesting is how this research intersects with the I Create My Body program. You see, your body intuitively knows what’s good for you. When you participate in this program, you help your mind listen to your body, which means you will be more inclined to eat the foods that your body needs to loose and eventually maintain an healthy body weight. Basically, this program helps your mind and body work together to create your ideal body.

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Sometimes, when I’m feeling uninspired, I look up a few quotes and re-kindle the inspiration. Today, I was at a loss for what to write about, so I looked up some “Inspirational Weight Loss Quotes” and look what I found:

“You must begin to think of yourself as becoming the person you want to be.”
David Viscott

This is kind of like keeping your eyes on the prize. Keep in mind your goal, feel and experience your goal as if it already exists and the universe will make sure it comes to you. In the case of weight loss, focus on your goal weight. See yourself in your skinny clothes. Feel yourself filled with energy.

“You’ve got to say, I think that if I keep working at this and want it badly enough I can have it. It’s called perseverance.”
Lee Iacocca

When you’ve got a lot of weight to lose, like I have, you have to persevere … remaining firm in your belief that you can do this. There will be times when things seem to slow down, but they’ll pick up again. The body does that sort of thing as it adjusts to its new set point.

“Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time.”
Mark Twain

Negative thinking, including the negative thoughts you have about your body, is a habit like all others. You have to focus on positive thoughts about your body. Keep coming back to them over and over until thinking positively about your body overrides your once bad habit.

“If you don’t do what’s best for your body, you’re the one who comes up on the short end.”
Julius Erving

I know it sounds trite, but your body really is your temple. It is what you live in day after day. The better you treat it … the better you take care of it … the better quality of life that it will give you in return.

“Rule your mind or it will rule you.”
Horace

This what is at the heart of the I Create My Body program. You are re-programming your mind so that it supports you rather than undermines you. Become the master of your life … change your mind, change your body, change your life.

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A lot of people use diet pills to lose weight fast. I’ve learned that this is not the way to go, at least for me.

Now I might be a special case … I don’t tolerate stimulants very well. In fact, caffeine in low doses puts me to sleep and the amount found in a can of Pepsi makes me feel like I have a hangover.

Any way, once upon a time I did try using Dexetrim. It never had any effect on my hunger, but it did make me feel jittery and sick. Oh joy.

Then, for awhile, they came out with an herbal version that was caffeine and effedra free and it actually did reduce my hunger. But it is now off the market and every diet pill I’ve looked at has caffeine as a primary ingredient, so I can’t even give them a try.

So, you can imagine my elation when I found that the I Create My Body program actually reduces my appetite. In fact, it has been more effective in reducing my appetite than any diet pill ever was.

Since I started the program, I’ve had days where I skip meals … not because I was trying to but because I simply forgot because I wasn’t hungry! How awesome is that?

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This is the second time I’ve noticed this happen. I do a boxing workout too many times in a row, having a great time, and then all exercise must stop for a day or two because of the intense upper back and neck tension causing paralyzing headaches.

Erg. I’m having such a great time with the boxing workouts … but I guess I get so focused on making that punch I tense up my upper back. So I can’t do them day after day. I have to space them out.

Oh well, I really should be alternating between upper and lower body workouts anyway.

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I’ve recently been blessed with a bunch of client work, so I haven’t really had time to post. Then, for the past few days I’ve had a horrible sinus headache on the left side. In fact, I was feeling so crappy yesterday I barely ate breakfast and skipped lunch all together! I just wasn’t hungry.

Anyway, I’ve started taking my decongestant twice a day and today I feel much better. Still slightly loopy from the medication, but my face doesn’t hurt any more. Yeah!

All that said, I’m feeling more fit and have more energy. Food cravings that used to plague me have “mysteriously” disappeared. In fact, I have a much lower tolerance for sweet foods than I did before I started the I Create My Body program, which makes things a lot easier.